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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22393573">On The Soul, The Body, and The Person</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Random_ag/pseuds/Random_ag'>Random_ag</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Bendy and the Ink Machine</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Jewish Character, LGBTQ Jewish Character(s), Non-binary character, Pre-Canon, Understanding, aka the Torah and Judaism in general says Trans &amp; NB rights, grant giving Big Trans Dad Energy, its jewish lore time babey!!!, tom is Big Shy and also a sweetheart</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-01-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-01-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 08:41:08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>887</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22393573</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Random_ag/pseuds/Random_ag</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It was strange seeing someone as well built, wide and sturdy as Thomas Connor wobble embarassed to the seat offered to him, hands torturing each other out of shyness.</p><p>or, Thomas wants to find some clarity about the soul.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>On The Soul, The Body, and The Person</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Grant didn’t hear the question the first time; he was busy calculating. Then some kind of mumble reached his ears, distracting him.</p><p>“I’m sorry, I wasn’t listening. Did you say something, Connor?”</p><p> </p><p>The mechanic held his wrench almost timidly, looking down to his feet. The pipe in front of him had been fixed for about fifteen minutes now, but he hadn’t dared moving since then.</p><p>“Can I… Hm, well, it’s, it’s a bit personal actually, but… Can, can I ask for your help with something, Mr. Cohen?”</p><p> </p><p>The accountant adjusted his tzitzit under his jacket, a little nervous: “… Sure.” he replied, “I’ll do my best to help.”</p><p>“Hm… The thing is… Hm, I wanted to… Well, to ask…”</p><p>He’d never heard Thomas so nervous.</p><p>“Don’t worry, I’ll listen.”</p><p>“It’s… Hm, it’s a really… Complicated thing.”</p><p>“Say it with your own words.”</p><p>“I… I don’t know how.”</p><p> </p><p>Grant smiled encouragingly. Despite the ever growing dark bags under his eyes, his face was as kind as a man’s could be. He patted a chair right next to him: “Sit here. It might be easier to explain once you’re comfortable and not crouched on the floor like that.”</p><p> </p><p>It was strange seeing someone as well built, wide and sturdy as Thomas Connor wobble embarassed to the seat offered to him, hands torturing each other out of shyness. The big albino mechanic sat as if instead of wood supporting him it was fresh snow, taking every caution into account. His vermilion eyes glanced back and forth between the accountant and the floor.</p><p> </p><p>“Hm…” he started, a little unsure in his ability to properly explain himself. Grant’s eyes smiled at him gently, nudging his soul to speak. “Hm, the, the thing is… I’m, well… I’m not sure I’m… Hm… I don’t know how to say this.”</p><p>“Don’t worry, try.”</p><p>“I’m trying, Mr. Cohen, I really am, but… But I’m not like Drew up there, who churns out words like wild in all sorts of combinations.”</p><p>“Neither am I. That man’s all weird, isn’t he.”</p><p>“That’s, that’s it! I think, Mr. Cohen, I think that’s the thing.”</p><p> </p><p>The other quirked an eyebrow: “What do you mean, exactly?”</p><p>“I think… I think I’m all weird, too, but not…” and he stopped, gulped, looked around, and then whispered as if telling a secret, “I’m all weird but not… Not a man.”</p><p> </p><p>It clicked immediately. It was sure to click, he’d experienced it all the same years ago, after all.</p><p> </p><p>“I see.”</p><p>“You think?”</p><p>“No, no, I see, I understand. I had the same thing- well, the problem I had was the reverse of this, actually, but it was the same under many aspects, so I understand.”</p><p>“The, the problem?”</p><p>“The thing that’s bothering you, that is. You, well, you’re not a man, is that right?”</p><p> </p><p>Something in Thomas’ face seemed angered for a split second - no, it wasn’t anger, it was something else, some sort of uncertainty as he rose a hand to his chest almost protectively and said: “I… I am.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh no, I’m not talking about the body!” Grant was quick to explain, “See, in Judaism, people are not their bodies, but their souls. Bodies are only the vehicle through which the soul does what it wishes to do in order to serve God, but their shape doesn’t matter.”</p><p> </p><p>The mechanic’s crimson eyes gave a soft glimmer as he reflected upon that, although he was nodding softly.</p><p>“And the soul…” he murmured - his low grumbly voice made a strange sound he spoke like that, like a bunch of pebbles falling in a deep pond with a small innocuos avalanche, “It’s a man or a woman, right? Is it written like that?”</p><p>“Well, not written… Er, we do have the Torah, see, but we also have this… <em>Oral </em>Torah, let’s say? It’s more of a tradition than an actual text, you understand? And it’s not a, let’s say universal truth. Judaism as a religion is based on a lot of opinions and arguing.”</p><p>“I see… But, it says that, right? Or at least, you say that. That the soul is a man or a woman.”</p><p>“No, no, soul has no gender. It only has attributes, and those attributes can be more feminine or not, and the gender of a person depends on those.”</p><p>“Ah. So… Well, is… Can someone… Well, can someone have a soul with, hm… No attributes?”</p><p> </p><p>Grant rose his eyebrows in genuine surprise: “Uh… I, don’t think that’s been discussed, actually.”. He held his chin in his hands thoughtfully, muttering to himself: “I should bring that up at beit medrish, it’s a pretty interesting topic… But if it can help, a soul can have feminine and masculine attributes in equal measures, sort of… Balancing itself out, so to speak.”</p><p>“So… It’s, it doesn’t make someone who’s a man, or a woman.”</p><p>“I guess so. It could make someone who’s a man as well as a woman, or someone who’s neither.”</p><p>“Ah!”</p><p> </p><p>And here Grant saw Thomas Connor - <em>Thomas Connor</em>, candid, unscrutable, unmovable brick wall of a human being that he was - smile brightly from above the loose bristly strands of beard precariously holding themselves to his chin.</p><p> </p><p>“That’s it, then.” the mechanic said, failing to elaborate on a variety of things that the accountant, however, didn’t need him to elaborate on.</p>
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